Keep Breathing
by Traidy
Summary: So much to do, so little time. Save a new mutant bird kid from Itex, stop Iggy from leaving, dealing with Fang and Angel, the incorrigible duo and Save and world. Iggy, where have you gone?
1. The Day Goes On

_**-I have to say, fate has never been kind to us. Yet we have no choice but to move forward, like a unit of soldiers, cowering on the banks of Omahu Beach being told to run at the people firing directly at us. Despite the invisible bullets and exploding mines, the cries of our friends and brothers beside us and the layers of dead, we rush forward with out a choice. Against our better instinct, we keep going forward, because there is no going back now. With nothing but water behind us, we keep moving forward, because that is the only option presented to us.- George Lloyd. **_

* * *

"Who are you? What is your purpose?" In the chilly air of the room, the questions went unanswered.

"Everything must have a purpose. To live is to have a purpose. You can not live if you have no purpose. Why were you made?" There was no answer once more, just pressing silence.

With no forewarning the man disappeared, the only testament to his being there was a pile of bloodied clothes in a pile on the floor. The air seemed to warm then and noise resumed. Workers returned to their stations to work, people filed about, all with a purpose. One man in the similar attire to the rest of the people there picked up the pile of clothes and moved on.

The day had never been interrupted.

­

* * *

Max's POV-

Why is it that adults feel the need to pile us up into a conference room? Are they really so blind to our twitchyness? I mean, come on! I would need more than two hands to count the number of times I've had bad experiences in conference rooms, not including the fact that it is a closed off space with very few exits filled with adults.

I mean really.

You'd think they'd take that into consideration.

Apparently not…

The seven of us sat around a table, Total looking as if he'd rather be elsewhere.

Peering closely at all the faces in the room, I judged how likely it was that the news was bad.

My mom's face was uneasy but filled with a sort of excitement. Angel was frowning, the scowl completely out of place on her small face.

Looks of confusion were being passed from one to the next.

Did anyone know why we were here?

If not, I'd be the first to dismiss us…

"Ok, so. No one knows why this meeting has been called for a reason. It…" My mom hesitated on that word, her eyes flashing to mine

"…has only been confirmed within the hour. Thanks to the awareness raised by Max and the Flock, the government has been able to find and shut down some of the labs. Bare in mind that not all have been found, but some is better than none. We had a strong suspicion that you guys" She looked pointedly at each of the Flock, her stare unwavering as it settled on me. "were not the first attempts at avian-human hybrids. We were right." She pulled out a small plastic oval, holding it in her hand and pointing it at the large flat screen t.v hanging on the wall.

"This is a lab in the Olympic Peninsula." It was just a large white wood house with trees on all sides, dense greenery that grew on everything. The entire outside of the picture was just soggy looking with green EVERYWHERE.

"Inside, the police were shocked to find nothing like the corporation of Itex. It was merely a house that was overly sterile. They did not find any recombinant DNA children." She clicked the large red button on the remote several times as she spoke. Pictures of a house furnished with a living room, kitchen, bathroom and a dorm room. There were several metal bunk beds pressed against the walls with stiff looking white sheets and blankets. The table and chairs in the kitchen, along with the counters, fridge, stove, sink and cabinet were all that shiny metal as well. The sofa in the living room was stark white as well, the floor a white wood. The low sitting table was metal as well.

Total scoffed "Somebody needs to hire an interior designer. White may go with everything, but that is blinding." Mom rolled her eyes with a smile on her face.

"What they did find interesting was this…" The picture shifted to a video of police officers confronted by men and women in white uniforms. The outfits almost looked like those bio-hazard suits, only white and with only a hood covering their hair.

"_For your own safety, you can not go in there. This room is a sterile room. You can not go in without washing and the proper clothes. You will only contaminate Sam."_ The officer did not look amused.

One made to push through the door.

"_Move aside, depending on what is behind this door, you all could be charged for a criminal offense…"_

The man who had spoke first threw his arms up on either side, blocking the door.

"_You'll have to kill me before I'll let you hurt her."_ Her. Was he taking about the Uber-Director?

'Keep watching Max. Don't assume…' The Voice commanded.

My eyes returned to the screen to see just in time the police break down the door. The camera showed nothing at first, just a large white room. When I say large, I mean tall. There was a large glass dome being suspended from the ceiling with metal bridges everywhere, accented with metal stairs connecting the levels.

There were sections filled with metal desks and chairs, people in white, computers, monitors, and fans with full sheets of paper blowing softly behind the open blade. Other than the whir of the blade, there was a steady sound. It took me a few seconds to place it as a constant hum, like who ever was making the noise was constantly in thought. Every now and again there would be a small slosh of water. Finally, an undercurrent to all of that, my falcon hearing picked up on a high pitched siren emanating from the room. After a few seconds of concentrating on that noise, it became too much. Clamping my hands over my ears, I glanced at the Flock to see similar looks of pain upon their faces.

"Max? Nudge? Are you guys ok? What's the matter?" My mom made to move towards us.

"What is that noise!? And what do I have to do to get it to stop!?" My teeth were clenched so tight my jaw hurt.

'Watch Max, watch.' I flashed a look to Fang who was trying to compose his face, like that worked.

He nodded perceptively, eyeing the clips playing upon the screen.

"Guys, if you want to go wait in the hall, we'll come get you when this is over…" As if waiting for the excuse to go, Total jumped from his seat and sprung out the door with Angel hot on his heels. Gazzy followed a bit reluctantly with Nudge. Iggy stayed.

Wasn't it hurting him more? His hearing was so much more sensitive then ours.

"Ig?" There was a forlorn look on his face. His eyes closed and it looked as if he was concentrating.

The movie continued.

The police rapidly were moving up the staircases, always pursued by people in white. Before long they stood in front of the large dome of greenish blue glass.

Oh, it was filled with water.

'Liquid.' The Voice corrected me. Liquid, water, what was the difference?

'There's a big difference to her. She would be dead if it was just colored water.'

My brain pulled a total 180 at the Voice's words.

"_What the hell…?" _

Apparently, the police were as shocked as we were. I swear my heart stopped in my chest as my breathing clogged my throat.

A bird-kid. A mutant just like us, who had survived.

The instinct to protect flared in me so suddenly I gasped.

Pushing away from the table and standing in an instance, I slammed my hands down hard on the wood of the table.

"What are they doing to her?! Why hasn't anything been done to help her!?" I'm sure if I looked in a mirror, my expression wouldn't show just how bewildered and thrown off I was.

'Listen Max, don't assume.' The adults in the room were all staring at me now and I felt a bit foolish for my sudden anger, but hey, I've definitely have had worse situations. Like the time I was on valium, and confessed my undying love for Fang…yeah…

Mom glanced cautiously at me.

"This footage was from this morning at about four a.m. We only received it an hour go." It was nearly noon.

"A party of scientist and biologist are leaving in the morning to fly there so that they can properly retrieve it…her…" Once more, my rash words made be embarrassed as I blurted out that we were going whether they liked it or not. Clearly she was going to offer before I spat that out.

I really needed to work on that…

Looking to Fang, he was staring at me with an amused look in his eyes. Damn him! I looked to Iggy before I became flustered and upset. Wait, I was Maximum Ride, I didn't get _flustered_ or _upset_ when Fang looked at me like that.

'You didn't realize you were in love then…' Was that the voice or Angel?

'Angel?' I heard her soft giggle and groaned. Life was never going to get easier with her was it?

'Don't answer that!' I mentally shouted at her.

"She's so sad." For once, it wasn't me who blurted out words and for once it wasn't me all the eyes reverted too. It was Iggy who still had his blind eyes closed. I'd forgotten to tell him what was going on in the scene. Damn, I was a bad Max. I wasn't fulfilling my job description anymore.

"Can't you hear her? She's crying." I shot a confused look at Fang who shrugged.

"Iggy, I hate to break it to you, but I'm supposed to be the one with the voices in my head, not you." He glared at a space an inch above my eyes. Hey, he was good, but not that good.

"Nevermind." He glared at the table. Again, Fang and I looked to each other for understanding. Don't tell me Ig was going to start acting weird now, I didn't think I could take another Angel. It was hard enough for me to keep track of her where about's.

* * *

Did I ever mention how much I hate small places filled with scientists? Nothing against what ever field they studied, but they were still scientist and they all had the curiosity that normally made us feel like science fair projects.

Not a good feeling, I'm sure you can imagine.

We arrived in a city called Seattle and had to take a car to where ever this house was. It at first had seemed pointless for us to drive, and I had argued this with my mom and Jeb on our flight over here. I was arguing that the Flock could just fly there, and meet them, but they had said that it wouldn't be a good idea, not supplying any reasons.

I had been contemplating ignoring them wholly, but then we arrived in Seattle and I was struck by lightening.

Not literally of course.

I may be a lot of things, but electrocution proof is not one and even if it was, I was not going to find out.

There was so much rain. It didn't stop raining. Ever. It poured buckets, cats and dogs, sheets. Whatever term you want to use, it poured it.

So now we were on our way to meet this mutant-bird freak like yours truly and I was absolutely frightened. Sure we had helped those other mutant kids get out, but none had been bird kids. How would this girl act? Had she been chased her whole life too, only to get caught and stuck in a bowl of _liquid_? I dimly remembered my isolation tank and shivered.

Was that what it was? Did she have no idea where she was or what was happening, or even how long she had been in there?

Jumpy was an understatement. I nearly shoved through the door when Fang put his arm over my shoulder.

It took all my self control not to break out in rapid breathing, what with the butterflies on a rampage in my stomach and my heart thundering.

Right…

I could do this.

I could definitely help save another bird kid like me…

And deal with the Flock,

And Fang,

And save the world,

And the o-zone layer….

And not kill Jeb…

And fight off the Mgeeks peeking out of the woods as the car turned off road.

Boy did I have a lot to do in so little time…

'Keep breathing Max, keep breathing.' Oh gee, thanks Voice.


	2. Life Goes On

_Sixteen Years Ago-_

"_Zero, it is time for your tests." It wasn't very difficult to pick the limp four year old up. There was no struggle, there was no fight._

"_Will I get play time today?" Her brown hair was cut short around her face, obscuring her sharp green eyes._

_The man didn't bother to look at her as he responded._

"_Why don't you tell me?" She frowned, her brow creasing in frustration. After a tense minute she sighed helplessly._

"_You know it doesn't work that way. You haven't made the decision yet." The man gave a humorless chuckle and pressed a code into a key pad on a wall._

"_6-9-7-3. You guys make those too easy." He didn't answer her, carrying the girl into a large room, setting her down in the center on a short chair. She ruffled the feathers of her wings as she watched him leave only to reappear behind a glass wall. _

"_Try to stop them." Without warning, an off-white blur shot out of the wall behind the girl, stopping a few centimeters from the back of her head. It hovered in mid-air before clattering noisily to the tile floor. _

_As if a switch was flipped, more plates shot towards the stationary girl. The first few were stopped, hitting the floor around her feet but after some minutes and a heavy sweat breaking out on her forehead, the flying objects began to slam and collide with her body. _

_She cried out when one struck her on the chin, instantly splitting the skin._

_The test continued. _

_All of the tests._

_They pushed her to her limit and dropped her on her cot when the night was over._

_She curled into a ball, face bleeding, fingers and ribs broken, to cry herself to sleep under the careful watch of the scientist._

_Life went on._

_

* * *

_

To give myself credit, I wasn't the one to shriek when the Mgeeks jumped onto the car. Fang and I shoved out of the door only to slam into a swarm of said enemies. I nearly saw stars when I took a fist to the temple. The Mgeek that was gripping my shoulders painfully was suddenly gone.

"Max!?" Swing around and kicking my foot out, I was able to catch the creep behind me on the ankle. It snapped and he dropped to the ground.

Fang was rolling and tumbling with two geeks, gripping one tightly around the head.

Darting under the out stretched arm of one, I landed with both feet on the shoulder of the one trying to break Fang's neck. I nearly landed on Fang's face; I would have to tell him sorry later…

"Max! Duck!" Iggy's warning came too late and I was blast head over wings into the dirt. Sitting up almost immediately I called out "Report!" Spitting out dirt and blood, I wondered briefly if my hearing was going to suffer permanently for this.

"Here." Iggy was standing awkwardly shaking his head free of dust and guts.

"Here." Angel and Gazzy called at the same time, both peeking out of the car. The rain was quickly soaking us and turning the dirt to mud. I looked around for Fang and cringed at the sight of him.

"Fang!" He was sitting up looking more dazed than I felt. I pumped my wings once just to get me over a mound of dead Mgeeks and to Fang as quick as possible. I tripped and nearly fell into him, but found my grounding.

It took me a minute to realize my fingers were shaking as I reached for his face. I didn't actually touch it, but my hands hovered around the burnt skin unsure of what I should do.

His t-shirt was singed around the collar and the entire right side of his neck was black. The acrid smell of burnt flesh made my head dizzy as I lightly tilted his head to the left to get a better look.

He winced and tightly gripped the wrist holding the left side of his jaw.

I was nearly sick.

The burn reached all the way up and around his ear with lines over his chin.

His eye was left untouched, but some of his eyebrow had been burnt off.

"It isn't as bad as it looks." He murmured, forcefully removing my hands from his face. I nearly choked on my anger.

"Fang! Half of your face is burnt off! Are you insane? 'It's not that bad'… you sexist pig, just because you are a guy doesn't mean you can't be in pain! Remember what happened last time you said 'it isn't that bad'?" I seethed, gritting my teeth together. His dark eyes just stared into mine.

I didn't even give him a chance to say something.

"You almost bled to death! We had to call an _ambulance_!" My mom and Jeb stepped out of the car. Jeb all but ignored the bodies of the charred as he moved toward us. Mom looked about as horrified as physically possible.

"Let's keep moving, we'll treat the burns once we get to the house. They have a medical facility." Anger boiled in my veins.

'Breathe Max. Killing your father won't do any one any good…' I nearly broke out in an argument with myself over the Voice's words.

The very real need to just 'accidently' throw a punch at Jeb was rolling in the pit of my stomach. I clenched my fists until my nails bit into the skin.

"Max…" Fang took my elbow, pushing us forward. "…Let's go." He glared at Jeb as well as we passed him. Once in the car the surrealism of Fang's wound hit me in the chest. I started to panic.

"Aren't we supposed to cover it, from getting infected? Does it hurt? Are you ok? I'm so sorry. If I had paying attention…" My rambling was cut off by my desperate need to breathe.

"Relax Max, it's already healing, there won't be any infection." Still my mom and I fretted over him until he glared at the both of us and snapped at us to keep our hands to ourselves.

Before I realized it, we were stopping again.

Anger and fear spiked my adrenaline. Were we being attacked again?

'Relax Max, don't get fight-happy. Breathe, in, out. In, out.' I did as I was told by the Voice taking deep steady breaths.

As we left the car and entered the house, I couldn't help but be edgy. I ushered Angel and Nudge in before me, hanging back so that I was the last one in.

Once in the room, I nearly gagged with the intensity of the smell of bleach. As if I wasn't already upset, my eyes stung and prickled. I hope didn't make me look like I was going to cry.

A man in white jumped off the stiff looking couch and trotted towards us.

"Yes, she saw you coming." He looked to Fang, how mouth pressed into a grim line while he nodded slowly.

"Yes, she saw that too. Come, I'll fix you up." Fang didn't move when the man turned and started to trot away.

"Yes, No doubt she saw you hesitant. I will not harm you. I've spent my entire life protecting her. I'm only down here for you. Come, your friends can follow." Fang and I glanced at each other and I got another sickening look at the now flaking skin on his neck. I nodded and he rolled his eyes, but moved forward.

As we progressed into the kitchen, I had to wrinkle my nose.

"How many buckets of bleach do you use in a day?" Iggy beat me to the question. The man had a bowl of the green liquid, the same color of the liquid in the video, and was dabbing it with a linen cloth against Fang's neck.

Every time he cringed, I could feel it in my chest.

Damn that had to hurt.

And he was trying to be all macho and manly.

Damn him.

"Yes, the entire house is scrubbed every morning with bleach and a wood-friendly antiseptic. We must keep the house clean for Sam."

Sam this, Sam that… Who was this 'Sam' and why did they have people bowing at their feet.

'Max…' I mentally cringed but shot back at the Voice 'Yeah yeah, I know. Watch, listen, don't assume. Got it.'

'Actually, I was going to suggest you have Angel, Nudge, Gasman and Iggy wait downstairs.' Suspicion made me dart my eyes around.

'Why?' A dozen reasons to not let the kids go were filling my mind, most of them bad.

'Remember that sound in the conference room?' This time I physically cringed at the memory.

'Let's just say that there wasn't anything wrong with the video camera.' Great. Why did everything about this house mess with my senses? First it was the bleach killing my sense of smell; the siren was going to kill my hearing. What next, a blinding light? Things were not going to get any better.

"Yes, you are Maximum. She saw you, and him, alone." What was this guy ranting on about? He was staring me in the eyes while wrapping gauze around Fangs neck.

"Who?" His gaze turned back to what his hands were doing, dutifully focusing on wrapping Fang's burns. I love being ignored, not!

He then led us to the living room.

"Yes, you'll wait here. I must return. I will fetch you when it is time."

Mom laid her hand on my shoulder. I totally deserve props for not flinching away.

"We came all this way to see her, why can't we see her now?! Where are the police that were posted here?" A weird glint appeared in the man's eyes and I felt a chill race down my spine. It was a dead look, one I had seen many times. Most clearly was the way Ari, my half brother, eye's turned just as he died.

The man opened and closed his mouth a few times, greatly resembling a fish.

"Hey Ange, any idea what he's saying?" She rolled her eyes.

"Haha." Just as suddenly as the weird faze came over him, it was gone.

"Yes, the master will be home tonight, he will show her to you. But he-" The man looked pointedly at Fang. "will mostly be healed by tonight; he can not be cleansed with that wound so raw. It will have to take a few hours. Until then, please wait here. Besides that, I must ask you not to go any farther than the first step of the stairs, for Sam's sake." He turned, ascending the stairs. I was just about turning to face the flock when he stopped and looked over his shoulder.

"And yours." A determined look settled on his face, creeping in quietly between his eyebrows. "Yes, your sakes as well." Once again he turned and continued up the stairs.

Making sure he didn't decide to add anything else, I slowly faced the flock.

"Ok, so I known we're the mutant freaks here, but that guy is definitely a human freak."

'Max, I suggest you don't do that…' When did I ever listen to what I was told? Rarely ever. And for good reason.

My instincts were what had saved our hides time and again, I wasn't about to doubt them now, and they were telling me to march up these stairs, slink through doors and find out what was being hidden in this house short of a tanked-up mutant bird kid.

"What are they going to do to me that hasn't already been done?" I tapped my foot impatiently, crossing my arms over my chest.

The Voice was quick to respond.

'Displace you.' Rolling my eyes, I threw my hands up.

"I can't argue with you if you use words I don't know!"

"Fang…is Max going crazy?" That stopped me in my tracks.

I hadn't even realized I was pacing until I stopped myself.

"No Nudge, she's just having an internal conflict with a much more intelligent her." That was the most he had said these last few hours and he had to be mean.

"It isn't _me_!" His dark gaze gave nothing of the secret conversation we were having. We were both worried about sitting here in the midst of the enemy.

"Ugh!" Attempting to run a hand through my hair, I looked around. Mom and Jeb stood at the far side of the room looking out the window, Iggy was sprawled out in a chair he dragged over to a corner holding a hand to his eyes, Nudge sat scrunched up on the stiff couch next to Fang. Angel and Gazzy had fallen asleep on the other couch a little over and hour ago. We were all waiting, but we were still human, well, 98% at least.

That meant we still got tired and hungry…

'Prepare yourself. You will be displaced if you rush and you will lose him. He will choose her over you. She will mean more to him if you rush.' My heart thumped uncontrollably in my chest.

'Fang?' Why was the thought of loosing him so incredibly painful?

'Remember Max, don't rush it, and keep the Flock together.' Maybe it hurt so badly because we had been separated once and it would never happen again, I wouldn't allow it.

"Max…?" Jolting out of my mind, I scanned the room. Fang was standing next to me, a hand reached out, paused mid-air.

He must have been an entire head taller than me. Come to think of it, Iggy was taller than me too. When had they started to look down at me and me up at them? Had it happened over night or over years? It definitely felt like over night.

Nudge was peering at me from the couch with her arms wrapped around her knees, her face almost hidden behind her long dark hair. When was the last time it had been cut I wonder? Not for some years unless you count having it ripped out of sheared off with knives. The Mgeeks had started to slowly disappear but would show up out of the blue. We defeated their employer, but I think those that still existed held a grudge against us.

Our lives were not always fight or flight now-a-days, but we were still the Flock. We stuck together and were the poster kids for saving the world. And fractions of Itex are still out there, like this one.

Fang and I stared at each other, not a silent word passed between us. We just stood there is this white bleached room, waiting for our future to happen.

There was an odd silence in the room. Well, there would have been if my raptor hearing didn't pick up on the heartbeats and breaths of everyone.

"Com'on…" Fang had grabbed my hand and was easily pulling me out of the house. We were on the small porch when my senses kicked in. Digging my heels into the wood, he nearly pulled be down the stairs before stopping and turning to me.

"Where are we going?" His dark eyes scrutinized my face, probably looking for something.

It was raining again, well, more like a drizzle. Foliage surrounded us on wall sides.

Wonder if the Mgeeks were around…

"Does it matter?" I couldn't help the snort of laughter.

Of course it mattered, we had…have… responsibilities. We couldn't just disappear off the face of the earth. That just might piss a few people off.

I dropped to sit on the highest step, my jeans instantly feeling wet.

"When did this happen?" Fang plopped down next to me.

"What?"

We always did whatever _we_ wanted. We flew where ever _we_ wanted to go whenever _we_ wanted to. We _didn't care_ about _responsibility_ save for keeping the Flock out of dog crates.

We didn't care whether we would piss people off or not.

"When did we grow up?" I could only stare at the rough grainy wood of the stairs.

I was pitifully aware of the zero distance between our bodies and the thundering of my heart.

Snap out of it Max!

This was weird and stupid.

Turning to look at him, I watched him raise his face to the clouded sky with his eyes closed.

Pulling my knees to my chest, I rested my chin on them, leaning my head on his shoulder.

A few minutes of our comfort calmed me enough to think more clearly.

His burn weighed heavily upon me now.

I had basically brushed it off.

Reaching my hand out tentatively, I lightly brushed the finger-tips of my right hand across his bandaged neck.

"Does it hurt?"

Parts of his face were still burned a deep red, but looked a lot better compared to the black it had been. He was healing.

I blinked slowly, trying to even out my fast breathing.

I was startled when he suddenly grasped my fingers tightly leaning over me, looking down at me.

"Um…uh…Fa-" I was trying to gently pull my hand away from his grip remained.

Damn!

I could feel my face heat up.

Damn him!

I could read nothing in his dark gaze.

With my hand still held tightly by his, he lowered his face to press his forehead to mine.

I nearly went cross-eyed and all I could think

I hope I don't have bad breath…

He was so close and homigod he was going to kiss me!

Here?

Now?

Please!

Lights flashed across our faces followed by the roar of an engine.

In the raining deaf space we were in, that sounds was monstrous.

Water dripped down both our faces and thrown pebbles pelted us.

Now what?!

'You're about to meet Sam. Be prepared.' Fear seized up in my stomach.

We had waited so long, why fear it now? And was Sam in that car?

Fang's hand dropped to my elbow while his other arm went across my back.

With one powerful thrust of his wings, we were both standing, ready to defend ourselves is necessary.

The silver monster had slid to a stop on the rock drive, sending those pebbles in our direction.

Without a grade entrance (yeah, right…) a man stepped out of the car.

"Ah! You!" There was no freaking way! "Why are you here!?"

He looked perplexed before understanding appeared.

"Hello Maximum. I'm surprised you remember me. It has been some years since you were in that isolation tank. And your great escape was so quick; I doubted if you had seen any of us at all." I dropped my pointing finger and clenched my fists.

"I generally try to remember all of the people who cause me or the Flock pain." As if nothing were wrong, which everything was right now, he moved casually towards us and jogged up the stairs.

For a scientist, he didn't look like a White coat. In fact, he wore normal, everyday jeans and leather jacket with sneakers.

It was very disconcerting.

He looked normal.

Meaning there could be White coats everywhere, we just recognize them.

Both Fang and I were so tense our muscle's knots had knots.

As if it was an everyday greeting, when he reached us, he moved to place his hand on my shoulder.

Fang beat him to it, clenching onto the man's wrist until his knuckles were white only releasing after a few terse moments.

"Temper temper. That will get you nowhere in life." He passed us opening the door.

My eyes flashed to Fang's face.

I knew exactly what he was thinking.

Tucking my wings in tight, I shot under the man's arm to stand in front of him.

"Really? 'Cause it has gotten me everything I have." He smiled and again I found it difficult to believe this man was a White coat.

"Don't forget, I know well of your temper, you broke my eye socket when you escaped. Don't worry; I won't lay a finger on a hair of your precious baby birdies. Now move aside, my own daughter is waiting for me." I flushed. The Flock had _never_ been called _that_ before. He pushed past me. Fang and I exchanged glances. Despite the circumstances there was some light humor in his eyes.

"Yeah Max, go tend to your wittle baby birdies, they'll be chirping for you soon…" I punched him in the shoulder.

'It starts now Max, it is not the time for fooling around.' He started it!

'Don't be so childish, you have things to do, now get moving.' I was tempted to resist just to spite myself, and then I realized the flaw in that. I would be spiting _myself._ That didn't really work.

'Just keep breathing; things are going to get overwhelming. And no punching Jeb.' I hadn't even realized I was thinking of that until the Voice said that.

'Max?' Angel. Fang and I both moved into the living room, him more silent than me.

"Batchelder! It is good to see you again. Max and the kids have grown up so fast." Jeb and Mr. Patronizing shook hands like old friends.

"I trust Sam is doing well. With the way you keep this place sanitized, I'd be worried about her health. Has she been on her own two feet since I last saw her?" My eyes widened then narrowed.

He knew!

I was going to kill him.

There was absolutely no way I could trust him.

He had too many secrets.

'Breathe Max; killing Jeb would make you a murder and a wanted criminal.' As if that would stop me.

* * *

We meet Sam next chapter. This was mainly a filler, me getting use to the characters and explaining Max's shaky state of mind.

She is one over-worked bird kid.

Read and review please!


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